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In a statement
after Delta Flight 1 landed in New York, Delta said the man,
Adam Saleh, and the other passenger were removed because they
"sought to disrupt the cabin with provocative behavior,
including shouting." The airline said its information was based
on statements collected from the flight crew and other
passengers.
Saleh, a Muslim American and YouTube personality, has posted
what he calls "experiment" videos in the past showing him
speaking Arabic on planes.
On Wednesday, Saleh posted a video to his verified Twitter
account, followed by 315,000 users, showing himself and a second
passenger being escorted off of the flight.
"We're getting kicked out because we spoke a different
language... Six white people against us bearded men," he said
from the plane's cabin.
Several passengers can be seen heckling him and waving goodbye
as he leaves the aircraft.
It was not immediately clear what took place before the
recording began.
"What is paramount to Delta is the safety and comfort of our
passengers and employees. It is clear these individuals sought
to violate that priority," the Delta statement said.
Airlines have in recent months battled negative publicity over
incidents in which Muslim passengers were removed from flights.
In November, a supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump
was allowed to stay on a domestic U.S. flight after going on an
expletive-filled rant. He was later banned for life from Delta
flights.
(Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Howard Goller and Grant
McCool)
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